FIG. 1 depicts a side view of portion of a conventional energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive 10. The conventional EAMR disk drive 10 includes a recording media 12, a conventional slider 20, and a conventional laser diode 30 that are typically attached to a suspension (not shown) or to the back side 24 of the slider 20. The conventional slider 20 has a leading face 22, a trailing face 26, a back side 24, and an air-bearing surface (ABS) face 25. The leading face 22 and trailing face 26 are so termed because of the direction the conventional media 12 travels with respect to the EAMR transducer 28. Other components that may be part of the conventional EAMR disk drive 10 are not shown. The conventional slider 20 is typically attached to the suspension at its back side 24. A conventional EAMR transducer 22 is coupled with the slider 20. Although shown as physically separated from the slider 20, the laser diode 30 may be mounted closer to or in contact with the trailing face 26 of the slider 20.
Light from the conventional laser diode 30 is provided substantially along the optic axis 32 of the conventional laser diode 30 to the trailing face 26 of the slider 20. More specifically, light from the laser diode 30 is provided to a grating (not shown) of conventional EAMR transducer 22. The light from the laser diode 30 coupled into the grating is then provided to a waveguide (not shown). The waveguide directs the light toward the conventional media 12, heating a small region of the conventional EAMR media 12. The conventional EAMR transducer 22 magnetically writes to the conventional EAMR media 12 in the region the conventional EAMR media 12 is heated.
FIG. 2 depicts a conventional method 50 for fabricating a portion of the conventional EAMR disk drive 10. For simplicity, only a portion of the method 50 is described. The EAMR conventional MR transducer 28 is fabricated on the front side of a conventional substrate, such as an AlTiC substrate, via step 52. Typically, a reader for the conventional disk drive 10 has already been fabricated. Thus, the conventional EAMR transducer 28 is built on top of other structures. Typically, multiple transducers are fabricated in parallel on the same substrate.
Once fabrication of the conventional EAMR transducer 28 is completed, the laser diode 30 may be mounted in proximity to the conventional EAMR transducer 28, via step 54. More specifically, the laser diode 30 may be mounted in proximity to the trailing surface 26 or the back side 24 of the slider 20. Step 54 may typically include individually aligning and placing each laser diode 30 with respect to the EAMR transducer 28, then affixing the laser 30 to the front side of the substrate on which the EAMR transducer 28 is fabricated. The EAMR heads may then be separated, via step 56. For example, the substrate holding the EAMR transducers 28 may be diced or otherwise cut into individual sliders 20. The front side of the substrate, on which the EAMR transducer 28 is fabricated, becomes the trailing face 26 of the slider 20. In other methods, the EAMR heads are separated prior to the laser diode 30 being mounted. However, in both cases, the laser diode is mounted in proximity to the trailing face 26 and, therefore, in proximity to the EAMR transducer 28. The fabrication of the conventional drive 10 may then be completed. For example, the conventional EAMR head including the conventional slider 20 and conventional EAMR transducer 28 may be mounted on a suspension and then in a disk drive.
Although the conventional EAMR disk drive 10 and method 50 may function, improvements are desired. More specifically, improved methods of fabricating the conventional EAMR disk drive 10, including coupling the laser with the EAMR transducer 28 and assembling the slider 20, the laser 30, and the suspension (not shown) are desired.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for improving manufacturability and performance of an EAMR transducer.